Illuminated apparel and accessories have not been as widely adopted as other forms of wearable technology, perhaps because few technological advances have been made with which to give wearers meaningful uses for such items.
Present examples of illuminated apparel or accessories include shirts or neckties that display patterns of light in response to sensory input, but this interactivity is limited almost solely to entertainment or decorative purposes. Although shirts that display different intensities of light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) depending on the intensity of ambient sounds, or neckties with electroluminescent (“EL”) wires that display different-colored lights at the flip of a switch, certainly make for interesting clothing, these examples do not provide many functional uses.
The examples of illuminated apparel or accessories that are more practical than decorative still tend to be quite limited in their functionality. Several examples exist specifically for riders of two-wheeled motorized vehicles, such as a helmet with a brake light built into the rear panel, or apparel with turn indicating lights. Many of these examples must be synchronized in some manner with a vehicle's electronic systems, and thus cannot be used for non-motorized or non-electronic forms of transportation such as bicycling, skateboarding, or walking. Other of these examples have an integrated controller that must be operated manually by the wearer, which can distract the wearer and thus diminish overall safety. Furthermore, these examples do not integrate with devices external to the apparel or accessories in order to both send and receive information.
Additional examples of illuminated apparel and accessories that may be practical, but of limited functionality, include illuminated vests or headbands that can be used to make motorists aware of joggers, construction workers, or bicyclists, in order to prevent collisions. Similarly, illuminated gloves can be used for bicyclists or horseback riders to help them make turn indicating signals to motorists to communicate their intentions. These examples, however, as with the examples for two-wheeled motorized vehicles described above, are intended to transmit light to people other than the wearer, and thus do not provide useful information to the wearer.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there remains a need for interactive illuminated apparel and accessories that fulfill these needs and others.